The Greatest Showman #721 – Huge Crew

Busy, busy, still busy. In the blink of an eye, the morning flew by. Since this was the first day of the official launch, everything had to be built from scratch. The crew was still settling in, and the small details seemed endless. The opening ceremony, originally scheduled for nine o'clock, was delayed until half past ten.

Although it was referred to as an opening ceremony, it was really just an internal event.

The media were not invited, and there were no public events. The in-house staff gathered to hear a speech from producer Tim Lewis, who outlined the vision for safe shooting, smooth execution, and a successful production. Then, the crew took group photos. Finally, Warner Bros. released the photos and a press release through their official channels, marking the official start of Edge of Tomorrow.

That was all. It wasn't a grand publicity event.

The most significant part of the ceremony was the announcement of the cast. This was the first time the starring lineup had been officially revealed since the Edge of Tomorrow project was announced.

In addition to Renly Hall, Jennifer Lawrence was confirmed as the film's heroine, playing Rita. It's worth noting that less than five days had passed since Jennifer completed filming The Hunger Games, after which she joined Edge of Tomorrow without any rest. She was the last to arrive on set, even later than Paul.

This marked the second collaboration between Renly and Jennifer, and their roles as the lead actors raised the profile of the project.

The six-member J-team includes Paul Walker, Rami Malek, Donald Glover, Kaya Scodelario, Tony Ay, and Will Poulter.

Among the five, Paul, the oldest, is thirty-eight; Will, the youngest, is just eighteen, a twenty-year difference. Despite this, the actors share similar traits: they are not widely known, but they have distinct personalities. Most of them have appeared in TV series, following a similar career trajectory as Renly, transitioning from the small screen to the big screen.

Rami starred in The Pacific, Donald in The Crap League, Kaya in Skin, Tony in Sherlock and Game of Thrones, and Paul began his career with Energy: Plenty of Urban Men and Women. Will is the exception, having started as a child star and appeared in just two works, Son of Rambo and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Additionally, two important roles were cast: Sergeant Farrell, Cage's direct superior, and General Brigham, who orders Cage to the front lines.

In typical commercial blockbusters like Edge of Tomorrow, these roles are often played by older actors, enhancing the texture of the film. These actors are familiar to audiences, boosting the box office appeal, while being cost-effective.

In the previous version of the film, these roles were portrayed by Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson. This time, the roles went to Alexander Skarsgård and Ray Stevenson.

It's worth mentioning that Alexander is known for True Blood, while Ray starred in Rome and Bloodthirsty Forensic.

The overall cast of Edge of Tomorrow is youthful, with a solid foundation in performance, even though many are lesser-known. On the whole, the crew members are young, with an average age of 28.8 years. Compared to franchises like Twilight and The Hunger Games, where the average age is in the early twenties, the cast of Edge of Tomorrow is older, more diverse, and more mature.

However, after Warner Bros. released the official press release, the media still viewed Edge of Tomorrow as a sci-fi movie for teenagers, with a skeptical outlook on its box office potential. The reason was simple: sci-fi films typically appeal to male audiences in their thirties and forties, and younger viewers often struggle to resonate with such films.

This reaction wasn't unexpected. The media had been skeptical about Edge of Tomorrow from the start, and until the film's actual release, they were unlikely to change their stance.

After the opening ceremony, the crew turned their attention to preparing for the first scene.

Edge of Tomorrow was a massive production, so shooting couldn't follow a strict timeline. Instead, scenes were arranged based on the studio's configuration. The first scene of the day involved a confrontation between Renly and Alexander.

The plot was straightforward: Cage tries to avoid going to the battlefield, but the general orders the law enforcement team to stun him and throw him onto a plane to Heathrow Airport.

When Cage wakes up, he finds himself on a pile of luggage on the tarmac and meets Sergeant Farrell. Cage persuades Farrell that he doesn't belong there and asks to speak to his superior. Farrell agrees, and they head toward the barracks.

However, when they reach the camp tent, Cage realizes Farrell hasn't listened to him. The general had already ordered Cage to be demoted to a second-class soldier and labeled a deserter. Farrell, unfazed, takes Cage directly to the J-team.

The first part of the scene—Cage's conversation with Farrell—was filmed at Heathrow Airport. The second half, where Cage realizes the truth, would be filmed at the camp entrance.

Unlike the original novel, the screenplay of Edge of Tomorrow exudes a playful tone. This sense of joy doesn't stem from the typical humor of comedy films but from the contrast in the plot, which creates a relaxed atmosphere.

Cage's confused and bewildered expressions, which don't align with the serious plot, add to the story's charm. It's this contrast that gives the film its unique tone.

In the previous film, Tom Cruise's performance was criticized for being too stiff, as he struggled to balance his serious image with humor. The film relied more on the contrast between the plot and character dynamics to create humor.

Renly, however, was eager to explore the challenge of combining lines and expressions in a serious yet understated way to produce humor. For comedians, this is a delicate balance.

Before filming, Renly and Alexander discussed the scene in a corner, delaying the official start of filming by ten minutes. Given that it was the first day, this delay wasn't surprising.

The cast and crew weren't overly concerned, as the scene itself wasn't complex. But as handsome leads, Renly and Alexander weren't the typical comedic duo, and it remained uncertain whether they could bring humor to the scene.

Still, the sight of these two tall, broad-shouldered actors in military uniforms, walking with a supermodel-like presence, was impressive. Jennifer, who didn't have scenes that day, couldn't help but whistle. "Wow, just for this picture, I'd buy a ticket." Her comment caused everyone around to burst into laughter.

Renly and Alexander, both over six feet tall, moved with the confidence of runway models. Jennifer's remark perfectly captured the visual impact.

"Hoohoho!" Laughter and cheers filled the air. Renly and Alexander were caught off guard by the reactions, but they smiled at the expressions on everyone's faces, particularly Jennifer's.

Renly nodded to Paul Greengrass, signaling they were ready, and then walked to the starting position to begin filming the first scene of Edge of Tomorrow.

Abby Mills stood on the elevator platform, took the loudspeaker, and announced, "Everyone, pay attention! We're counting down ten seconds. The shooting is about to begin. Please, no looking at the camera. Focus on your performance. I'll start the countdown now."

This was a big scene. Heathrow Airport, under wartime conditions, was preparing for the battlefield the next day. To create a sense of realism, the director requested that six hundred extras be mobilized. It was an ambitious start to the production, and Renly had never experienced such a large-scale shoot before.

As the protagonist and supporting cast, the scale of the production was overwhelming, but it was clear: Edge of Tomorrow was going to be a massive production.

"...Three, two, start shooting!"